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Hi, my name is Dominick W. Cella. I am born and raised in Miami, Fl. My home campus is originally Kendall campus, but in these strange times I have only stepped foot on campus once and that was only to get my student I.D.  My major is criminal justice. What I want to do with my degree is to join Miami-dade County Police Department and hopefully be a part of the vulnerable victim’s unit. Since I have spent my whole life living in the Miami-dade area, I find it very fitting for me to give back to this community that has offered me so much.

My hobbies are rock climbing and going out to explorer National parks in other states. I also know that you guys are thinking this guy likes to go rock climbing, yet we live in Miami. There is a local rock-climbing gym that has been around for years and that is where I train at for trips. The big reason why I got into rock climbing and visiting National Parks is due to my two twin cousins. They have always been a huge influence on me. They are now serving in the United State armed forces.

A moment in time where I was the proudest of myself must be when I graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High. I say that because, during that time I was very in my head bout who I am as a person. So, yeah that is me and a I hope everyone the best in this semester!

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In my first semester here at Miami Dade College, my ENC 1101 Professor had shown off some of the features on how to use the online library. Nevertheless, that was back in the fall of 2020, it was a very needed refresher from Professor Duque. The one thing that stuck out to me from Prof. Duque’s Blackboard meeting, was the way she was able to narrow down the searches from 3 million to 800,000. One thing I found from previous semesters using the online library was how overwhelming it is to seeing all the results and thinking “where do I start.” Also, another huge help Prof. Duque showed us was the Purdue University online writing lab. Here they have a citation machine where it can help you cite your work in MLA or APA style formatting for virtually any type of article or video.

At this current moment I have two topics that I am looking into. (I am going to limit it to one) The first one is the traffic congestion that is partly due to the tourism. Part of the reason why I am thinking of this issue is because, we have a bunch of different types of public transportation and yet we still have a bunch of traffic jams every day. Also, this could possibly help with the number of emissions we let off.

The second option I am looking into is something we had talked about in the meeting with Prof. Duque and that is Biscayne Aquifer. This was something that caught my attention especially after Prof. Duque talked about how all of Miami-Dade County gets all of its water from here.

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Do Miamians experience traffic problems? (SP3)

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Do Miamians experience traffic problems? (SP3)

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Ducassi, Daniel. “Gridlock: What Can Fix the Miami Traffic Problem?” The New Tropic, 14 June 2018, thenewtropic.com/miami-traffic-gridlock-overview-planning/.

For the first article that I am using, it is about how we can improve the traffic congestion with some public transportation. In this article you can also read about how some organizations are trying to improve on the highway to help the flow of traffic. This article brings up other forms of private transports like Uber and Lyft.

Nebhrajani, Roshan. “A History of Transit in Miami-Dade.” The New Tropic, 19 July 2016, thenewtropic.com/history-transit-miami-dade/.

For the second article that I am using, it is about the history of public transportation in Miami. This article will give great insight on the timeline of when certain roads were added and when other forms of transportation were added as well. Finally, the article also gives pictures of that specific time and type of advancement.

Ogle, Connie. “Miami Florida Named One of Most Congested U ... - Miami Herald.” Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2022, www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/miami-com-news/article248478245.html.

For the third article that I am using, it is about how Miami is named one of the most congested cities. I would be using this article to pull information on how bad it gets on the Turnpike and I-75. This article is helpful because, it gives data on long it takes for a person driving in Miami.

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Out of all the assignments that were listed that we had to go back and reconnect with. I found CAS 1 and CAS 2 the best. The reason behind this is because, these two assignments really made me think of the feature and the environment.

In CAS 1 we had to dive into the fun and short interactive videos of “The Story of Stuff Series” by, Annie Leonard. In the first video I had watched was the “The Story of Stuff” episode, in this episode Leonard talks about how we extract the natural materials from the planet to make up some of the plastics/items we use today. Now before I had watched the episode, “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard, I knew we produced a lot of plastics on a day-to-day basis. Nevertheless, I did not think we went mining and fracking as much as we do for these materials. Another huge point in this video that absolutely blew me away, to the point where I did some more research into the topic. The amount of trash we produce on a daily average and what we do with that trash, absolutely mind bottling.

After finishing CAS 1 I started getting more intrigued with what we do with our trash at the landfills. I started looking up how we as a community can limit the number of plastics we use and how we can start using compost stations to break down the biodegradable items like, oranges and apple cores. I genuinely thought that the episodes of “The Story of Stuff” by- Annie Leonard were going to be lackluster, not going to go in depth on topics. But boy was I wrong on that.

Then following into the next assignment CAS 2, where we were instructed to look up two topics on a website and try to relate them to each other. I had found two videos that talked about wildfires and how we can help protect the forest by using controlled fire burns. In the second article I found for CAS 2 was about how years of putting out smaller fires made it worse for the forest by making it denser. The article was called, “How Decades of Stopping Forest Fires Made Them Worse” – by Kimberly Mas. Mas goes in depth on how the floor of the forest is so dense that during the dry season, if lighting strikes or campfire amber can fly over it can light up the whole forest. Mas brought up how the Department of Agriculture made huge efforts to stop and suppress small forest fires, because they thought they were doing the right thing.

Now for the most part the article was very interesting. I grew up with older siblings who were apart of that generation who were told that controlled fires are bad for the forest. So when I went further into the article, I was astonished by the fact that controlled fires work. This helps the forest floor by burning all the loose pine needles and by burning the pinecones that releases the seedlings that help grow new trees. Most of this work has been outsourced to the local tribes in areas that are overgrown. Now after reading the article, I found a new appreciation for the forest and thought on how I could do my part on giving back to the forest. There are tons of programs in south Florida that help our Everglades out. We have nature trails that help inform the public on what type of ecosystems they are looking at. Now after reading and watching videos on how people do controlled fire burns, I am in favor of them.

These assignments have helped me further my interest into the environment and resources that we use to keep the earth clean and stable.

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My Story of Stuff → Documentation → Reflection (CAS1)

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My Story of Stuff → Documentation → Reflection (CAS1)

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CAS1: The Story of Stuff

Documentation: 1

In “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard walks the viewer through a simplistic format of stages on how the United States consumes and creates items. In the first half of the video Leonard explains and shows us how we extract the natural materials from the planet. She explains that when we extract resources from our planet by chopping down trees or mining for resources like coal, iron, and other metals. This raw material then gets moved to a factory where it is made into its final form and sent out to the marketplace.  Nevertheless, Leonard brings up an interesting fact on how toxins are integrated in the said items being made and how some toxins are even a byproduct from the factory. The next stage Leonard moves into is the marketplace. This portion is a real big eyeopener because, Leonard shows you that the price is not the only thing you pay for. It is a combination of workers getting underpaid and risking the environment at a large portion.

In the later portion of the video, Lenard shows how consumers are obsessed with purchasing the newest items in the market. She references it as a continuing cycle of “work, watch TV and shop.” This cycle is pretty much what the average consumer goes through in the U.S. She even goes as far to explain that some items have a “Planned Obsolescence” (they are designed for the dump). The last stage Leonard has is the disposal portion. In this part Leonard breaks down the fact that “each of us in the U.S. makes 4.5Lbs of garbage.” She then follows that up with two categories of how the garbage is truly disposed of. The first option is sending all the trash to a landfill. The second option is the trash being sent to the incinerator and then the byproduct is then put into the landfill. In the end the this only lets off more toxins into the climate causing for climate change to happen.

Documentation: 2

In “The Story of Bottled Water”, by Annie Leonard, talks about the negative effects that bottled water has on our planet and our environment. Leonard first stars off with bring up an ongoing situation at Cleveland, Ohio. The tap water in Cleveland is not up to par. She then explains how the big-name corporations make campaigns to incentivize people to purchase bottled water in that area. Leonard then brings up the fact that in other areas of the United States there is a term called “manufactured demands.” The first step in making a manufactured demand is to scare people into thinking that tap water is not as clean and safe. The second step is seducing the public or consumer into thinking that water they are purchasing is coming from a spring or lake. The last step is misleading us, the reality is bottled water companies are just purifying tap water. The last portion of the video talks about how the United States proceeds to “recycle.” Leonard then explains that the U.S. just sells our trash to other countries to dispose of.

Reflection

Part A.

Consumption relates to me, by always wanting to have the newest merchandise that hits the market. Annie Leonard talks about this point in “The Story of Stuff.” She goes on to explain that the media helps dictate what is popular in fashion or anything in general.  This just adds to the horrible cycle that kills our planet and forests. The reason why I say that is because, to get the said merchandise you need to mine or extract the raw materials from the Earth. This could be for shirts, video game console and so much more. Nevertheless, these short 10-to-20-minute videos have shown me that consumption is a series problem for the world, and we need to limit on how fast we produce items for the public.

Part B.

The changes that I am inspired to make after viewing the series of “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard, has made me want to limit the amount of water bottles I consume and family members as well. The reason why I say this is because, in the video of “The Story of Bottled Water” by Annie Leonard, she says that there are enough water bottles to wrap around the world five times. Another way that the series of “The Story of Stuff” has made me change my mind on is, consumption. The amount of consumption that I have of items like shoes or clothing is huge. I had to really take a step back to see how much clothing I buy in one month. It truly does add up to a lot. I have also been looking into organization that target the waste of water bottles and help clean up beaches.

References

Leonard, A. & Sachs, J. (2007, December). The Story of Stuff. [Video]. The Story of Stuff Project. The Story of Stuff - Story of Stuff.

Leonard, A. & Sachs, J. (2007, December). The Story of Bottled Water. [Video].  The Story of Stuff Project. The Story of Bottled Water - Story of Stuff.

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 The World’s Challenges → Documentation → Reflection (CAS2)

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 The World’s Challenges → Documentation → Reflection (CAS2)

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Documentation

Article 1

Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to Beavers! - by Joe Hanson and Mimi Schiffman

The first article/video that I found that really caught my eye was “Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to Beavers!”- by Joe Hanson and Mimi Schiffman. This article goes in depth about the background story about beavers when the colonist came here (U.S.) and killed off the vast majority for headwear. Then article continues in a positive way by explaining how in the present-day beavers have helped ecosystems grow by doing what they love, cutting down trees to make dams. This in return helps a lot of other living organisms around the dam by making a mini aquifer under the ground. The water that is held up in the dam makes the surrounding soil so rich that it makes a bearer around the dam with super healthy plants.

Article 2

How Decades of Stopping Forest Fires Made Them Worse – by Kimberly Mas

The second article/video that caught my eye was “How Decades of Stopping Forest Fires Made Them Worse” – by Kimberly Mas. In this article Kimberly Mas talks about how the Department of Agriculture made huge efforts to stop and suppress small forest fires, but later down the line that caused there to be a dense woodland area. These dense woodland areas go up in fire super quick with a couple of contributing factors: a dry season, then add in some lighting and super strong winds. That is the recipe for a bad fire season. The article then goes on to explain why controlled fire burns are good and would help lower the intensity of wildfires.

Reflection

Some of the concepts that I have learned from these articles/videos is, that we have a lot of learning to do from previous generations. Such as using controlled burns and using natural resources or animals to help prevent the spread of forest fires. In the article/video from Kimberly Mas “How Decades of Stopping Forest Fires Made Them Worse”, Mas talks about how previous generations would stop forest fires as soon as they start. This did help make the forest become dense, but that is the contributing factor to why forest fires start and spread so fast. Now I must admit, I did not know that this made forest fires intensify and speed up the spread of the fire. Nevertheless, there are simple solutions on how to manage the forest and keep forest fires at bay. The solution is called controlled forest burns, this limits the amount of smaller vegetation that grows at the bottom of the forest floor.

Another solution I found was in the other article/video was, “Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to Beavers!”  by Joe Hanson and Mimi Schiffman. This is an intriguing article/video on how beavers use dams to help keep an area of the forest protected by using the dams as an aquafer to keep the forest fires at bay. I was amazed that beavers could do so much at keeping certain areas of the forest intact while a forest fire is going on.

How both articles/videos were presented were amazing, the text portion in both outlined what the video portion would go in-depth about. Other forms of media would have had super long texts. I think making the outline is a smart idea. My thoughts on this subject are like most people, making sure we can limit the amount of forest fires and keeping the forest animals safe. I also found it amazing that we are recognizing how beavers use dams to help protect portions of the forest.

Reference:

Hanson , Joe and Mimi Schiffman, directors. Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave It to BEAVERS! YouTube, YouTube, 18 Nov. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT5W32xRN4. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.

Mas, Kimberly. “How Decades of Stopping Forest Fires Made Them Worse.” Vox, Vox, 22 Sept. 2021, www.vox.com/videos/22687988/forest-fire-management-controlled-burn.

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TED Video Environment → Documentation → Reflection (CAS3)

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TED Video Environment → Documentation → Reflection (CAS3)

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Ted Talk 1:  A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere

In this Ted talk, “A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere” by Jennifer Wilcox. Wilcox goes in depth on how we could remove carbon from our environment by setting up a machine that process the carbon from the air. This machine is used in an interesting way by separating the CO2 molecules by using a strong- binding CO2 molecule solution to break down the CO2. This by product could be liquid fuel, plastics, and artificial gravel. Wilcox in the later portion of the presentation brings up the cost and production rate of the program. The cost is high, priced at 20 billion dollars and the amount of synthetic forests that will be made is 200 of them.

Reference:

Wilcox, Jennifer. “A New Way to Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere.” Jennifer Wilcox: A New Way to Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere | TED Talk, TED.com, 2018, www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_wilcox_a_new_way_to_remove_co2_from_the_atmosphere.

Ted Talk 2: This country isn't just carbon neutral -- it's carbon negative

In this Ted Talk, “This country isn't just carbon neutral -- it's carbon negative” by Tshering Tobgay, was a very inspiring speech. Tobgay spoke about his home country Bhutan.  Bhutan is a country that is carbon negative, because of its immense commitment towards preserving 70% of the forest. Bhutan’s forest has been able to suck up 6 million tons of carbon, and with the plan they are following now they will be able to offset the carbon emissions by 50 million tons of carbon. Tobgay then continues to speak on how Bhutan has implemented “The Bhutan for life program”. This program helps the country move forward and protect their forest and parks.

Reference:

Tobgay, Tshering. “This Country Isn't Just Carbon Neutral -- It's Carbon Negative.” Tshering Tobgay: This Country Isn't Just Carbon Neutral -- It's Carbon Negative | TED Talk, Ted, Feb. 2016, www.ted.com/talks/tshering_tobgay_this_country_isn_t_just_carbon_neutral_it_s_carbon_negative.

Refection:

In both Ted talks, I found a huge respect to not only the presenters but also the country/company the lobby for. In the Ted talk, “This Country Isn't Just Carbon Neutral -- It's Carbon Negative”, by Tshering Tobgay. I found to be really inspiring. I could not believe that a small, underfunded country with a GDP of less than 2 billion dollars is truly carbon negative. This is due to the fact that Bhutan has a huge amount of protected land. In their constitution, they cannot go under 60% of forest land. This is huge, I would love to see the United States to follow some of the traditions Bhutan has put in place.

In the other Ted talk by Jennifer Wilcox, “A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere”, was amazing at the fact that the company that she represents is trying to make machines that suck up CO2. This is absolutely what we need in this day in age. The machines by product could be used as a liquid fuel, plastics, and artificial gravel. This is also a big part of why the United States should began to invest in these machines because, you could possibly sell the byproduct. These machines would help my community by doing what they do best, sucking up the CO2. The Kendall area is littered by cars and traffic jams. So, by having these machines it would help immensely.

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“The recycling myth: What actually happens to our plastic” is the name of video by DW Planet A. The video goes into depth on how Germany disposes of their plastics. They had Kai Steinecke go into a day in the life of a garbage man. Steinecke then explains how Germany has four different types of trash cans: residual waste, paper waste, glass waste and plastic waste. This helps Germany separate the trash at the trash center. They have reported that they have collected up to eight tons of trash in one shift. But there is reported that 40 to 60 percent of miss throws. Miss throws are when the public do not put the trash in the correct spot and have to deem the trash wrongly sorted.

Later on in the video the Steinecke takes a tour of the trash facility. During that tour Steinecke later talks about how they break down the plastic more that can not be recycled. Those plastics are then reused for other items. Some problems the trash facility has is that multi layered plastics are harder to separate. The other problem is that the trash facility is moving trash at max capacity.

One thing that I learned is that the trash/ recycling system that we have in Miami has some catching up to do. I also saw a comparison for the trash and recycling bins. But the way how Germany separates trash with the bins is impressive and should be something we strive for.